


Twisted Tales

by TheAvengersMascot



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Community: norsekink, Gen, Implied/Referenced Torture, Misunderstandings, No evil!Odin, One Shot, Past Torture, Post-Avengers (2012), Tony needs a better brain-mouth filter, intentional bastardization of Norse mythology for my own amusement, nothing too graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-14
Updated: 2015-06-14
Packaged: 2018-04-04 07:43:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4130026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAvengersMascot/pseuds/TheAvengersMascot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>By the third day of negotiations, Odin was certain he was not imagining the disrespect the mortals were showing him. He caught every last one of them giving him looks that ranged from mild disapproval to downright contemptuous. For three days he chose to put up with it, after all it was his son who harmed their world so greatly. Once he found out the true reason for their disdain though, no force in the universe could stay his tongue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Twisted Tales

**Author's Note:**

> I don't think any of the mentions of torture could be called graphic but I'm not always the best person to judge. If you're familiar with the myths about Loki's various punishments then you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect in this fic. No torture is actually depicted, only discussed.  
> If anyone feels the warnings in the tags are inadequate, please let me know and I'll fix them.
> 
>  
> 
> _All characters belong to Marvel_
> 
>  
> 
> Filled for **[this](http://norsekink.livejournal.com/10823.html?thread=22284871#t22284871)** norsekink prompt.

The mortals had become an impertinent lot in Odin's opinion. He was well aware before setting foot in their realm for the first time in a millennium that their kind had changed much since the days the Aesir were worshipped as gods but the longer he spent among them, the less Odin viewed this as a positive development. He might not be seen as a god but even so, as a foreign monarch he should be accorded some respect. Certainly more than he was receiving.

He and the humans had reached the end of several days of negotiations regarding the payment of weregild and throughout the duration, Odin caught every single one of them giving him a rather disgusted look. While he knew he was not blameless as regards his son's turn to villainy, he found it bothersome that the mortals seemed to feel he bore as much responsibility as Loki did for the crimes committed against them and had little qualms about showing it. Given how far their species had progressed, surely they were acquainted with the concepts of tact and diplomacy by now, were they not? By the Nine, but would he be glad to leave their backward little world.

"Asgard will begin reparation payments in gold upon my return," Odin stated, ensuring his tone reflected none of the insult he was feeling over their ill-concealed contempt. "If you have nothing further to add, I shall consider the matter concluded and take my leave."

The World Security Council with whom he'd been negotiating took a moment to confer with each other and in the silence, Odin heard someone murmuring behind him. He turned and saw one of Thor's compatriots, the so-called Man of Iron glaring at him. That man, as well as several of the other heroes responsible for bringing Loki to justice had been the most obvious in their disdain for Odin.

"You have something you wish to add, do you?" Odin asked.

"No sir, I'd hate to hold you up," Tony Stark retorted. "I'm sure you've got lots of things you have to get back to. So many lips to sew, so little time."

"Stark," Director Fury cautioned.

Unbidden, images of Loki's ghastly visage after the incident with Brokkr flashed through Odin's mind and a little bit of his decorum slipped.

"If that is an attempt at a jest, I would advise you to cease your prattling at once," he growled.

Stark crossed his arms and favoured Odin with an insolent grin. "Or what, you gonna strap me to a boulder naked with poisonous venom dripping in my eyes?"

The Captain placed a hand on Stark's shoulder. "Tony, give it a rest."

Odin might have been more pleased for his attempts to intercede had the man's eyes not been filled with revulsion when they landed on him as he spoke. That, along with more memories surfacing of Loki's burned face and destroyed eyes, dispelled the last of his goodwill toward the mortals. And Stark was not yet finished.

"Are we seriously not going to address this?" he asked, turning to face the rest of his companions. "I mean, the money is great, don't get me wrong, but I for one am not a fan of dealing with people who think torture is fun."

"None of us are, Stark," Fury grumbled. "But for once in your life, you really need to let it go. The city, not to mention the families, could really use what they're giving us."

"It's blood money," the shy doctor spoke up. He cast an apologetic look at Fury. "Sorry, Nick, but I agree with Tony. We shouldn't be doing this. I don't care what we'd get out of it, we shouldn't be throwing our lot in with them."

Stark raised a fist in a victorious gesture. "Finally, someone else sees reason."

"You don't get to decide that," Fury told Banner while Stark celebrated.

"No, we don't," Stark agreed. "But I can sure as hell turn this into a PR nightmare in about five seconds flat. JARVIS can have the details splayed across every computer, tablet and smartphone in the world in minutes. I'd love to see what people will do once they find out the guy who's footing the bill to fix Manhattan thinks it's hilarious to ride around on his grandson's back-"

 _"Silence!"_ Odin roared. "I have thus far tolerated your insolence but I will not stand idly by while you profane me and my family."

Undeterred, Stark feigned a shudder. "Uh oh, guys. Watch out or he'll sew our mouths shut too."

Odin was so infuriated he lost the ability to speak, thus his anger expressed itself in what Loki often referred to as 'The Noise', a wordless growl that was part warning, and part uncontrolled rage. It was with some slight satisfaction that he noticed all the mortals flinch, with a few even taking a step backwards.

"Am I to take from your words that you believe not only that Asgard as a whole condones torture, but that I myself take pleasure in meting it out?" he asked, in control once more.

"Yes." Again, it was Tony Stark speaking but he no longer looked so self-assured. Odin smiled at him and the man took a hard swallow.

"And how exactly did you come to this conclusion?"

The Man of Iron appeared to have lost his nerve, for he remained silent as a stone. The Captain answered in his stead.

"There are stories that were passed down in our culture about you and Thor and Loki. A lot of them are pretty gruesome."

"Tell me these stories," Odin politely demanded.

Director Fury shook his head. "I don't think that's necessary-"

"I believe it is," Odin cut him off. "Tell me, _now_."

No one made a move at first. The mortals, confident in their moral superiority mere moments earlier, now held their tongues while Odin simply waited them out. Someone from the other side of the room cleared their throat. Odin turned to see one of the Council member's aides nervously holding out one of the mortal's portable computing devices. He beckoned the man over and he came after some hesitation. Odin snatched the device from his hand as soon as it was within reach and began to read. The aide hovered nearby, his anxious gaze bouncing back and forth from Odin, to the Avengers, to the Council, and back again. After a few moments he leaned forward, pointing at the display screen.

"You, uh, just swipe up with your finger when-"

"I know very well how these devices work. I am not a fool."

"O-of course not, your... uh... majesty."

Odin dismissed him with a wave of his hand and the man hastened back to his place against the wall. No one moved or spoke while Odin read but if they had, they might have found themselves magically suspended by the ankles at the top of the Triskelion's towers. The 'stories' the mortals alluded to were appalling. Oh there was some truth to many, if not most of them, though the notion that Thor could ever pass for Freya merely by donning a dress and veil was beyond laughable. The rest however, contained nothing so humorous.

Tale after tale told of Loki being tortured, mutilated, or threatened with death, often to the great amusement of the rest of the Aesir. Others told of children ripped away from their parents for being monsters. The final one detailed what Stark referred to, how as punishment for his many misdeeds Loki would be bound naked to a stone while a poisonous snake dripped venom onto his face until Ragnarok.

When Odin read what it was that Loki was bound with, he nearly vomited. It took every bit of self-control he could muster not to strike dead every human in the room, for while they had not concocted the stories, they were more than willing to perpetuate them. Odin couldn't decide which was the greater insult, that they had twisted the many tragedies of Loki's life into such horrifying tales for their own amusement, or that in most of those tales it was Odin himself who was responsible for Loki's suffering, which the mortals all seemed to believe.

"This is what you've based your conclusion upon," he said. "The warped tales of a society so primitive they mistook us for gods."

"I asked Thor about them over beers once," Tony answered, having recovered from his bout of fright. "He said there was some truth to them."

"Did he now? You showed him these same sagas?"

Stark hesitated. "Not exactly. We mostly just told him the broad strokes. The highlights."

It brought Odin some small relief to know that Thor had given such an answer in ignorance. "And beers are a type of alcohol, if I remember correctly."

"Yes," Stark admitted.

"So you accepted what he said while intoxicated as pure unvarnished truth?"

The mortal at last seemed to realize his folly. "Um... yeah. Yeah, I think we did that."

Odin smiled, letting enough menace seep into the expression to let everyone in the room know just how displeased he was. "Then I shall enlighten you the way he no doubt would have had he been possessed of a clear head.

"My son did indeed lose a bet to the dwarves that resulted in his lips being sewn shut. Loki was not, however, in my court or even in Asgard, but in Nidavellir, and when I saw what was done to him I assure you, there was no laughing. After healing my son I journeyed to Nidavellir where I relieved Brokkr of the use of his hands. Permanently.

"Loki took it upon himself to keep the builder from finishing Asgard's wall before the deadline. He told no one of his plan beforehand but if he had, I would have done everything in my power to stop him. The ordeal left him so scarred he could not bear the sight of Sleipnir until long after the horse was full grown. I took the foal to be my steed to ensure he received the best possible care. No one would dare mistreat the All-Father's mount.

"The children Loki sired with Angrboda were not monsters and not cast out. They grew up happily alongside their parents as they learned to use their unique gifts. Once each of them came of age, they chose to use their gifts as guardians and protectors of their chosen realms and so left Asgard willingly with Loki's approval and blessing. And mine as well.

"I can only assume the tale of the snake venom came from a time when enemies of Asgard captured Loki from the battlefield and tortured him for information. I found him alone and chained in a cave days later with his eyes and a good part of his face burned away by something similar to what you call acid but enhanced with magic and far more potent because of it. I shall spare you the details of the executions of his captors but I will tell you this, their deaths were not swift."

Thinking about the last detail of the myths he read, Odin's fingers tightened on the computing device he still held until the screen cracked.

"As for Nari and Vali, they were children, too young to comprehend the forces they sought to command. Vali changed himself into a wolf but he had no control over the mind of his altered form. The guilt over what he did to his brother nearly drove him mad. It would have, had Loki not been at his side day after day to help him heal."

He paused, taking care to look every mortal in the eye once before speaking again.

"I was far from a perfect father to my son, however the very idea that I would time and time again punish my own child with such callous brutality is repugnant, far more so to me than you, I am sure of it. Should you wish for the alliance between our realms to continue, I would advise you never to bring up these vile tales in my presence or Thor's ever again. And Norns help you should you dare make mention of them in front of my wife."

Seeking out the aide who lent him the device, Odin walked over to him. "I thank you for your assistance. I shall compensate you for the cost of a replacement."

The man took it with a hand that trembled only a little. "Oh, you don't have to do that, s-sir."

"Nonsense. I damaged your property, I shall replace it for you." After casting a glance over his shoulder at Stark, Odin added, "Unlike some, I am a man of honour."

Seizing the opportunity to speak, one of the WSC members leapt to his feet. "We apologize for the misunderstanding, your majesty. It won't happen again."

"I'm sure it won't. If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave."

The Council member briefly wrung his hands together. "I'm sorry, your majesty, but we must have a clear understanding between us. The alliance..."

"Is still in effect. As I said, I am a man of honour."

When no other objections were raised, Odin made his way out, taking great care to ignore Stark and his comrades as he did. Once he was out in the open air, he didn't have to so much as lift his gaze skyward before Heimdall opened the bifrost. His feet touched down in the golden observatory moments later. Striking out across the bridge, he did not slow once he reached the city. The Einherjar at the dungeon entrance parted without a word to allow him entry. Descending the stairs, he at last reached Loki's cell.

"Well, this is a surprise," Loki said. "The All-Father deigns to visit his false son at last."

With a wave of his hand, Odin lowered the barrier to the cell and strode inside.

"I must confess," Loki went on. "I didn't expect-"

The rest of what intended to say was lost in a breathless grunt because Odin embraced his son so hard he nearly knocked him off his feet.

"What are you doing?" Loki asked, his voice muffled against Odin's shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

"...What?"

"I'm sorry, Loki. I forget sometimes just how much you've suffered."

A long moment of silence passed between them before Loki made a reply. "...I don't."

"I know. That is why I'm sorry."

Loki said nothing but Odin felt him nod against his shoulder. He held on only a moment more before releasing his son and pretending not to see the wet shine in Loki's eyes when they parted. Instead he pulled out a chair and sat down while Loki set about straightening his tunic after the forceful embrace, taking an inordinate amount of time to do so. By the time he looked up, he had blinked away the last vestiges of tears in his eyes.

"What brings you here now?" he asked, a slight tremor in his voice the only indication of his emotional turmoil.

"I've just come from settling the matter of weregild for Midgard. I learned something most interesting."

"What could those insects know that could possibly be called interesting?" Loki scoffed.

"As it turns out, the mortals wrote some rather interesting stories about us dating back from when they yet worshipped us as gods. There's one in particular I thought you might enjoy."

"And why is that?" Though Loki's tone was bored and dismissive, there was a spark of curiosity in his eyes.

"Because it involves Thor, the theft of Mjolnir, and a wedding dress."

**Author's Note:**

> I am still working on my _The Dark World_ AU fic, I promise. It's just sometimes when you're writing a long story, you need to take a break by writing something totally unrelated to it. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think. Your comments always fuel me to keep writing.
> 
> You can also come say Hi to me on tumblr at [ theclassicblunders](http://theclassicblunders.tumblr.com).


End file.
